On the day they slipped the 2007 National League championship rings on their fingers, the Rockies got punched in the gut.
Stephen Drew’s leadoff, solo home run sparked a three-run 10th inning today as the Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep with a 5-2 victory.
It was the Rockies’ fifth straight defeat. This one is going to hurt for a while.
Arizona’s 10th-inning rally wiped out two clutch performances by the Rockies. The first was starter Franklin Morales’ six scoreless innings of work; the other was Matt Holliday’s game-tying homer in the ninth.
Holliday’s shot to center field off Arizona closer Brandon Lyon pumped life back into the 42,865 fans at Coors Field who saw the Rockies fritter away a victory in the ninth inning. That’s when Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds launched a two-run homer off closer Manuel Corpas, putting Arizona ahead 2-1.
Arizona’s two late comebacks spoiled a splendid performance by Morales, the Rockies’ prized young left-hander. He not only threw six shutout innings, he managed to clean up his own mess.
Befuddling the Diamondbacks with his 94 mph fastball and knee-buckling curve, Morales opened with three perfect innings.
Things got dicey in the fourth. Orlando Hudson stroked a two-out single to left and moved to second when Morales was called for a balk.
At that point, it appeared Morales would lose his poise, as he did many times during spring training. And when he walked Conor Jackson and Mark Reynolds to load the bases, Morales appeared close to a meltdown. Instead, the 22-year-old got 20-year-old Justin Upton to foul out to Helton down the first-base line.
Morales’ fifth was an adventure, too, but with runners on second and third, he got Eric Byrnes to ground out to shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to end the inning. Morales set the Diamondbacks down in order in the sixth, striking out Reynolds to end the inning.
But Morales alone wasn’t enough to overcome Corpas’ collapse and a stagnant Colorado offense.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
